FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 19, 2007

CONTACT:
Michael Johnson, Director of Communications
816-421-1388
michael@maaa.org

Native Threads Quilt Exhibition Embarks on Tour of Kansas
Exhibition showcases the contemporary quilts of Kansas Native Americans

Kansas City, Mo.— Native Threads, a touring quilt exhibition showcasing the native artistry of Kansas Native American quilters, will be presented in six venues throughout Kansas, including the tribal museum of the Sac & Fox Nation of Missouri where it opened on July 6, 2007.

Toured by ExhibitsUSA, a national program of Mid-America Arts Alliance, Native Threads is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts’ American Masterpieces: Three Centuries of Artistic Genius program, and the Kansas Arts Commission. The Mid-America partnered with Kansas Arts Commission to develop the exhibit in an effort to expose Kansas audiences to the excellence, variety and richness of Native American culture as expressed by contemporary textile artists.

The exhibition consists of twelve quilts, and was curated by Joni Murphy of Pomona, Kansas, who is on the faculty at Haskell Indian Nations University. The selected artists are all affiliated with Haskell Indian Nations University and are Kepsey Fixico, a Muscogee Creek; Marilyn Thunder Hawk, a Sicanju Lakota; Melanie Jones, Navajo; Mildred (Fox) Jordt, who is Hidatsa, Mandan and Ojibwa; and Olivia Putesoy Kissoon, a Havasubaa-jah. Native Threads focuses on the development of quilt-making as a form of expression and the passing down of traditional methods from generation to generation.

“Native American culture is an important part of not only our history, but also of contemporary Kansas life,” said Chris Howell, chief operating officer of the Kansas Arts Commission, who conceived this exhibit. “We are pleased to be able to showcase the work of these five outstanding contemporary quilt artists. Our deepest thanks goes to Mid-America Arts Alliance and to the National Endowment for the Arts for making this exhibit possible.”

Mid-America Arts Alliance, the nation’s oldest regional arts organization, was founded in 1972 to foster cultural growth in heartland communities. Today, Mid-America primarily serves communities throughout Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas, though it also develops and delivers fine arts, performing arts, and humanities programs for a national audience. Mid-America programs attract upwards of one million people annually in more than 300 communities.

For more information, please contact Andrew Graham at (816) 421-1388, ext. 225.